The Crow Ten Years After
by The Last Vampyre
Summary: Ten years later Eric returns and someone special joins him. Thanks for the reviews! Second chapter isn't done but I thought I should put up what's there!
1. Chapter One

Darkness falls and the rain seems unending. The night is upon the land once again, though the light of the full moon is hidden deep behind the angry clouds. Lightning dances through the shadows, and thunder rings out, shattering the sounds of the night. Fires are destroyed and the smokes rise unseen through the swirling mist that surrounds the city. The streets flood and the rain pours off the roofs like waterfalls. The chains of the swings in the park creak as if the ghosts of ancient children once again ride, and the gates of the old cemetery crash against the fence in the undying winds.  
Midnight strikes and Halloween begins. The brightest flash illuminates the sky, sending the darkness into what appears to be day for a few moments before fading to nothing. Then suddenly the rain calms almost to a stop. And a gravestone cracks and falls, split down the middle, the two halves landing heavily like that of a broken heart. And after a long moment, a hand reaches out from the grave.   
Free once again from the confinement of the ground, the hand scratches at the dirt, struggling to pull the rest out with it. After a few moments it disappears below the surface again, and suddenly reappears with the other, followed by the rest of him. Once out completely he collapses to the ground with a cry of despair, curling into a ball and shivering in the cold night air. Another flash of lightning and the rain grows heavy again, almost instantly soaking him, washing away the dirt and turning it to mud beneath him.  
After some time he pushes himself up to sit half way, leaning over with his head down, his hair hanging in his face. He stares blankly at the ground for a while, not moving other than still shaking from the cold. The lightning gives a final flash and he stands up, almost falling back to the ground as he does. Finally he walks off, out of the cemetery, not sure where he was going but knowing he would end up somewhere he perhaps should be, and disappears into the night.  
He walks for what seems like hours, through the empty streets and alleys, past abandoned buildings and warehouses, through the dead park, and finally through the better part of town. He wanders into a quiet neighborhood, and finds himself on a street he's never been through but somehow knows. He stares up at the houses as he passes, some of them dark, some with lights still on. After a while he stops in front of one, not knowing why. He stands there for a long time just looking at it, until a moment came when he knew he was to go to it. He staggers up to the door and leans against the house, raising a hand to bang on the door a few times before sinking to the ground, laying against the side and having no choice but to close his eyes and fall into the darkness.  
From deep within the house the pounding is heard as a faint knocking, and almost immediately she senses something wasn't right. She stands up from her place on the couch and looks in the direction of the room the sound came from, calling softly to her friend. He appears in the doorway and puts the two glasses he was carrying down on the little table beside the couch, then moves toward the other doorway to the hall, picking up his gun from where it lay on a chair. She follows close behind, and they move quietly down the hall and into the front room. She stops just a few feet in but he continues on to the door, reaching for the knob and pulling it open slowly, the gun hidden at his side. He looks out into the night expecting to find someone standing there, but finds no one. He looks over the yard before deciding perhaps it wasn't someone knocking after all, and starts to back up and shut the door. The moment before he begins to push it closed he looks to the ground against the house and stops, staring silently for a few moments before quietly speaking one word.  
"Sarah."  
  
  
She looks to him and moves slowly across the room, stopping a few feet from the door and following his gaze to what lay outside. She stares, silent, unbelieving, for what seemed like a long time. Finally she moves closer and kneels down in the doorway, reaching a hand out but not touching him, not yet. Her friend moves away, turning slowly and heading back toward the other room, to put the gun away and give her a moment alone. He too can't seem to believe what he was seeing, and thoughts race through his mind like wind through an alley in a hurricane. How could this be happening again? Could it really be possible, or was it perhaps some twisted joke? He didn't know, but wasn't willing to wait much longer to find out. He starts back to the door, finding her still there on the floor, unmoving. He comes up beside her and rests a hand gently on her shoulder.  
She turns her face to him and looks up, her expression slightly curious. A question burns in her eyes, the same question he asked himself a million times in those few moments since he first looked down. How was he here?  
A sound suddenly cuts through their silence, and something passes by the open door, a dark shape flying through the night. It circles the yard once before coming to land on the ground just inches from where he lay. Another sound and it's identity is revealed. The crow stares up at them, blinks once, and flies off. And then, as if awakened from the darkness, he moves once again.  
They watch in silence as he tries to sit up, but this time he can't seem to make it. He lays back, opening his eyes and looking to her outstretched hand. Slowly, he reaches up to take it in his own, seeming to return to himself at her touch. He lowers his hand back to the ground and sits up, looking to both of them before turning toward the yard. No words are spoken, but the questions are somehow answered just the same. And through the darkness something else can faintly be seen. A figure moving toward them, almost glowing until it got close enough to show that the ghostly look was merely a white dress billowing gently in the breeze.  
He stands up, and the figure stops before him. A soft smile plays on her lips, and he can't help but to return the expression. He moves to her and hugs her, not wanting to ever let go. Sarah and Albrecht watch silently as the two are reunited, and in that moment, the past seems to fall away. The questions fade, the impossible becomes something that can truly be done. A single tear falls, and one thing is suddenly known.  
The nightmare is over. 


	2. Chapter Two

Light sparkles through the eye of the crow as it sits, perched upon the roof of the church, watching the scene below.  
  
A question that was asked so long ago now holds another answer. The night had fallen once again, and the two were finally married- on Halloween.  
  
The few that were left from the time so long ago now stand in the empty street, all but two unaware of the eyes watching over them silently. It knew it's job was done. Their death was avenged and they were now free. And soon, it would be free too.  
  
The night would soon be over, and with the rise of the sun a new life would begin, for them, as well as the crow.  
  
Soft voices float up on the breeze. The crow tilts it's head, silent, still watching to be sure no harm would come. And below, down on the street, he looks up, catching the eye of the crow and smiling, as he knew it had done the same. He knew what was to happen. Though no words were spoken, the thoughts passed between them, silent as shadows creeping through the night.  
  
Dawn was near. Sarah, her mother, and their friend gave their goodbyes and disappeared into the fading night. 


End file.
